Cancer rates are increasing in developed nations. While some of this may be due to chemical exposure from pollution, toxins, drugs and water, increasingly it is being reported that diet is pivotal in the risk of developing cancer. In particular consumption of a typical Western diet may increase the risk of cancer because such diets are full of processed foods that are devoid of meaningful levels of micronutrients and antioxidants. High quality traditional diets protect from cancer because they supply adequate essential nutrients and antioxidants. If you are concerned by cancer and want to lower your risk significantly here are three easy to instigate strategies that have been shown to be effective against cancer.
1. Take a Selenium Supplement
Selenium is a trace metal that is found in a number of foods particularly fish and brazil nuts. Selenium is also found in meat if the animals are fed high selenium diets and in whole grains if the crops are grown on high selenium soils. Selenium is required as a cofactor in the glutathione peroxidase enzyme, which is the primary water soluble antioxidant in cells. In this way selenium is pivotal in maintaining the reducing capacity of cells, a factor that is pivotal in preventing damage to genetic material that can lead to cancer. Western diets can be low in selenium and so supplements can effective. Around 200 μg per day of selenium rich yeast has been shown to reduce the risk of cancer mortality by 50 %.
2. Take a Vitamin D Supplement
While traditionally it has been thought that the sun causes skin cancer, it is now being understood that sensible sun exposure is actually protective of skin cancer. The reason for this is that exposure to ultraviolet light causes the synthesis of vitamin D in the skin and this raises levels of a chemical in the blood called 25-hydroxyvitamin D. Higher levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D are associated with a lower risk of developing a number of Western lifestyle diseases including cancer. Because people do not get enough vitamin D from the sun, and the diet is limited in its vitamin D content, it is recommended that supplements of 2000 IU of vitamin D are taken to reduce the risk of cancer.
3. Drink Green Tea
Green tea is commonly drunk in Asian countries, particularly Japan. Here it is suggested that the high consumption rate of green tea explains the lower risk of cancer in this country compared to Western developed countries. Green tea is rich in a group of antioxidants called flavonoids, and contains particularly high amounts of a subgroup of flavonoids called flavan-3-ols or catechins. These are not found in high concentrations in other foods and they are thought to be absorbed in humans and provide antioxidant effects. Drinking one to five cup of green tea each day may significantly reduce the risk of developing cancer by increasing antioxidant defences. Green tea is also available in capsules for those that do not like drinking tea.
RdB
